sciencebriefs
Researcher · 1829–1901

Adolf Fick

1
brief
9:52
average
10 min
in total
On science.briefs1
9:52

Fick's laws of diffusion

Adolf Fick

Fick’s laws quantify diffusion in fluids using direct measurements of salt flux and concentration. They hold for liquids, not solids. Their derivation is experimental, their form exact, and their reach vast — but they are not universal, not theoretical first principles, and not extended beyond their empirical domain.